We began the last day of our journey again in the fitness center where Larry said he walked off 2 croutons! We didn't have much driving to do, so we cruised through the Smokies and stopped at The Methodist Conference grounds at Lake Junaluska on our way to Asheville. Every building was decorated for Christmas, and Larry reminisced about the summer he worked there, as well as, the many times he and his family stayed there for the yearly Western North Carolina Methodist Conference. It is such a peaceful and beautiful area. We stopped in Waynesville for lunch at one of the spots Larry remembered...everyone knew each other and it was like stepping back in time. I had chicken and dumplings ($2.85) and Larry had a hot dog ($1.60). It was already getting warm...Asheville was going to have a very warm December day...63 degrees! We continued to Asheville. It was a beautiful drive on such a nice day. We decided to stop and see some friends in Asheville so we made a couple of stops before heading to the Biltmore for our 5:45 pm time for the Candle light Tour. We toured a Tiffany exhibit, tasted a few
Wines at the winery, and then lined up for our tour of the Vanderbilt mansion. The mansion has 101 bedrooms, 43
bathrooms, and somewhere around 37,000 square feet. Nice and cozy! LOL The special Candlelight Tours are only held at Christmas and the house was decorated beautifully. Our two favorite rooms were the large garden room which was filled with different plants and the 7-story tall dining room with 3 side-by-side fireplaces! It took us around an hour and half to tour the house and we headed down the mountain, stopping in Mills River at a home cooking (Greek-owned) restaurant...a nice ending to a food tour! We made it to Spartanburg, SC and are spending our 19th night on the road. What a great adventure, but the best part is still ahead...returning to our little paradise on Tybee Island! We should be home early tomorrow afternoon...supposed to be close to 70...time to get back in the flip flops!